1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for moving articles in a continuous manner through a fluid bath. More particularly, the present invention is directed to such an apparatus employing a ratchet conveyor system.
2. Prior Art
Frequently, articles of commerce are manufactured by techniques which involve application of undesirable foreign matter to their surfaces which must subsequently be removed. For example, metal and other types of articles are machined or cut with cutting oils which must then be removed from the articles. Likewise, molded articles sometimes contain release greases and oils which subsequently have to be removed from article surfaces.
At one time, cleaning of articles to remove surface oils, greases and other foreign substances was accomplished by batch operation. With the advent of the machine age, various devices were developed for the cleaning of articles on a continuous basis. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,275 describes a mechanism for conveying barrel-like containers with a plurality of workpieces therein through a series of liquid treating stations while enhancing tumbling of the workpieces to promote effective liquid contact. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,394 describes a device for treating articles arranged in containers with organic solvents to degrease the articles. The device includes a housing with openings which receive, immerse, rotate and dispense the containers moved through it.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,907,013 and 3,604,435 describe means for continuously moving articles through treating or cleaning fluids by stationary holders and "walking" holders which pick up the articles and move them from one stationary holder to an adjacent stationary holder. The "walking" holders may be toothed members or stands for the articles and are imparted a rotary motion so as to rise and fall while advancing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,423 (Faust) describes a continuous system for plating, cleaning or rinsing articles which includes a trough suspended within a fluid bath so as to operate cyclically forward and upward and abruptly return to its initial position thereby to cause articles in the trough to inertially fall to positions successively forward of the trough and in new positions with respect to the trough and other articles. The articles are subsequently removed from the bath by a continuous conveyor belt on an incline, the belt having toothed surfaces for holding the articles as they are conveyed upwardly.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,985 (Faust) describes a continuous plating system which includes means for moving articles forwardly and downwardly through a bath and then upwardly. The upward movement is achieved with a cyclic ratchet conveyor which advances the articles in a stepwise fashion. While this reference describes a system having some elements in common with the system of the present invention, this prior art system differs in horizon angle, relationships of the ratchet floors and walls to one another as well as to the baseline, cycle arc angles and other aspects, e.g., eddy dampening means. In fact, this patent to Faust (an inventor of the present invention) leads one away from rather than toward the apparatus of the present invention in the specific teachings therein and is deficient in teachings which make the apparatus of the present invention so unique. It was discovered by inventor Faust that the system of his U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,985, which was built post-patenting, simply did not work with certain small articles. It was not until some five years later that inventors Faust and Faunce working together concluded that more than four parameters had to be radically changed to make the effective apparatus of the present invention.
Thus, notwithstanding the prior art, there has to date been no disclosure which teaches or renders the present invention obvious.